


Dangan Ronpa IF: Puzzles in the Hospitals of Despair

by Sinneli



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-22
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-01-13 10:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1223659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinneli/pseuds/Sinneli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl named Ikusaba Mukuro wakes up in a room. A hospital bed. A strange cryptic message left by this mysterious being calling itself Monobear, and to get the key to leave the room, she has to solve a puzzle. A matter of life and death. (Idea comes from Kamisama no Iutoori. I read it but could not remember the name for it. I apologize for not writing this sooner)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The gun to the head, a spear to the tummy.

Opening her eyes on the tiled ceiling, a room filled with the smell of medicine and disinfectants greeted her as she shifted, for some reason immediately on caution. Where was she? Or more importantly, who was she? 

_My name is Mukuro Ikusaba... And...._

_And...._

Nothing. Nothing hit her. She didn't remember a thing. Just her name. And... Someone. She had to find someone. Who was this... Someone? 

The caution made her stay on the bed. She was sure it was a bed, feeling the rough, white sheets that seemed to have been recently changed, encircled by white curtains that prevented her from seeing her surroundings. After a minute or two of nothing happening, strange silence permeating through the room, she started to sit up. 

"PING PONG!" 

The sudden sound made her freeze rather than jump. 

"I see you have awakened!" Ikusaba slowly looked around the room. The curtains showed no silhouettes, and the voice had slight static in it, as if it was spoken through a speaker.. Nothing surprising. The friendly yet unnatural voice rang through the room. "This is a pre-recorded message, meant to be triggered when you are awake! Well, I should introduce myself. My name is MONOKUMA! And I'm the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy... a school you go to!" 

_Hope's Peak.... Isn't that..._

A strain of memory, roughly squeezed and shaved until there was nothing left but only the crucial information... Hope's Peak Academy, the school where only the most talented of people go to. Applications aren't accepted into this school, and the school itself scouts for people with special talents... And those accepted are given a title Super High School Level...

_Am I someone with... a talent? Do I really go to that school? I don't really think... I have a talent. Do I?_

"Now, unlike most students trapped in here, you are a special case! Upupupu! I betcha you don't even remember anything! Not even who you are, or what you are! No worries, because that's all unnecessary, you bastard! Now, you might have noticed some curtains surrounding your bed. I betcha some morons already took them off realizing what it was designed to do, and their room be stained with blood! Well, that'll quickly wipe off the competition for sure!"

Blood? Did that mean people were going to be killed? Instead of expected panic, calm took over Ikusaba, storing every information. Her body was tense. 

"As soon as you draw the curtains, you see, a mechanism will activate! This will make you play a game depending on which room you are locked in! Now, there are many people locked in with you in this hospital, and you should know that there are games and puzzles you must win to survive and escape this place! But I should mention that losing can be quite a treacherous! It might mean the difference between life and death! So are you ready to face the challenge, or just cower there and despair, waiting to die of hunger or and thirst?" 

... Afraid.... She was afraid. But she shook it aside. It didn't matter. She had to find this person... She sat up and cast aside the curtains, ready to face the challenge. 

"Welcome to Monokuma Red Light Green Light!" The room itself was plain, rather empty except for what seemed like a Daruma in shape of a bear, one side white, one side black with a red gash for its eye and a sickening grin. "Rule's simple! While it's looking at you, if you move, you die!" 

The bear started to turn slowly, muttering something. Ikusaba didn't move, observing the bear. Was that the rule? The only rule? No goal? Not knowing what to do, she simply observed it turning. 

"Greeeeeeen liiiiiiiiiiiight..." It droned on as it turned its back towards her. She then noticed a  button. A large red button that said "OFF SWITCH" on the back. That had to be it. If she could turn this off... 

"RED LIGHT!" The bear screamed as it turned sharply towards her, making Ikusaba freeze up once more. So this was how it went? The bear started to turn once again. 

"Greeeeeen liiiiiiiiiiiight..." The bear said, and Ikusaba took a step closer, cautiously, noticing a pattern. The bear was more than a few steps away, but something told her not to leap at it. 

"RED LIGHT!" The bear turned again once more. This was easier than anticipated. As soon as the bear started moving, she started to step faster. 

"Greeeeeen LIGHT! RED LIGHT!" The sudden change in pattern nearly caught her off balance. What? How did this thing.... It changed patterns? Perhaps it was good that she didn't rush it.

Then its the red gash on its face flashed and she felt something whistle through the air, straight behind her, giving her chills. What was.... that? 

"Greeeeeeeen Liiiiiiiiiiiiiight." It went back to its patterns, and Ikusaba glanced back to see a long, black rod had gone through the curtain she had drawn back, half-embedded into the wall. The force to penetrate into concrete like that.... If she was hit by any one of that.... 

"RED LIGHT!" No. There was no hesitation. Ikusaba didn't move. The bear started to move once again. One step at a time. 

"Greeeeeeeen liiiiiiiiiight." 

One step.

"RED LIGHT"

For her.

"Greeeeen LIGHT RED LIGHT!"

Despite the constant patterns, she maintained the cool. She was more than two steps away when it changed its pattern dramatically. 

"GREEN LIGHT RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT RED LIGHT" The bear was turning at a quite a speed, turning one way and another. At this rate, she could not maintain the constant, steady pace. 

A risk. A chance. Every time it said Red light, it didn't move, staring at Ikusaba. On the green light, it started to move. She had only one shot at this. One shot. One shot at hitting the button on the back of the bear. 

"RED LIGHT GR-"

She leapt for it.

"-EEN LI-" She was barely touching it when it started to turn towards her.

"GHT! RED LIGHT!" 

She heard something whistle as she crashed into the ground, bringing the table that the bear was on down with her.

No pain, besides some sore feeling of having crashed into the table. She looked up to see herself holding the bear, her fingers pressing onto the OFF button. 

Then she noticed the black tattoo on the back of her right hand. Was it... a wolf? 

She looked up again, to see the black rod had gone through the tiled ceiling. She had nearly been pierced by it. She glanced at her shoulder to notice it had just grazed past the fabric of the shirt, tearing it.

_"Congratulations! You're alive!"_

Monobear's message rang throughout the room as Ikusaba sighed in relief. 

"Well, that's out of the way, step out! You have a lot more puzzles to solve!"

There were more? Her confidence wavered. There were more puzzles to the life and death? She shuddered.... Could she really survive all of it? Was this... despair? 

"And who is behind all this? The true mastermind! The puppetmaster who made all this! Don't you want to know? After all... Upupupupupu!" 

Ikusaba laid on the ground, holding the bear, before standing up and tossing it away. 

 _.... I'll win this._ She declared in her mind as she stepped towards the door. To the exit. 

_I'll survive. And find  who is behind this._

She touched the doorhandle, and turned it.

_I'll find out who I am._

 


	2. The Hallway of Fame and Wealth

"Took you long enough." was the first greetings she got when she opened the door. In the hallway of the ward, lined with a couple of rooms, stood two people. One was a boy, around her age, with blond hair and this pompous atmosphere around him. The other was a girl, with blue hair in a sailor uniform.

"Took me long enough what?" Ikusaba asked, confused by the sudden appearance of acquaintances. 

"For you to complete this trial. It was rather a simple thing, and yet it seems that people are falling left and right." As he said it, there was a high-pitched scream, followed by a gurgle. It took a moment for Ikusaba to realize someone had just died screaming, choking on their own blood. 

"It's been like that for a while..." The girl finally said, her face full of fear and panic. She could see that this girl was on the verge of breaking. The way her terror leaked out of her like smoke in a box... 

"Trial? You mean..." Ikusaba started, but was cut off short. 

"It seems that we are waiting for everyone alive in this section of the hospital to pass the trial. The door that leads to another sector of this hospital is currently locked. It seems that we have yet to pass another trial in order to leave." The boy interrupted rather rudely. 

"Well, if you say so... But who are you?"

"You are in the esteemed presence of Byakuya Togami, the heir of the Togami Conglomerate." The tone really ticked Ikusaba off. It was probably the way he talked as if anyone in this room was inferior. He did give off that feeling after all. "Now..." Then he froze, as if he noticed something, even paled a little. "What is that on your hand?" 

"What?" Ikusaba looked at her hand. Her right hand, and at the back of it, the tattoo of a wolf marked onto her. "I... don't know. I can't remember anything or..." 

"Don't lie, peasant. That's a mark of Fenrir corporation. I ask again. Who are you?" The frustration and break of composure on his voice showed how urgent this must be for him to find out. But... Fenrir? What was that? 

"My name is Mukuro Ikusaba. That's all I can remember."

"Feigning amnesia isn't going to he-"

"No. She's not lying." The girl spoke once again, and she seemed to have regained her composure. Ikusaba couldn't even tell if this was the girl who was scared earlier. She seemed to be calm, even cheerful. 

"How do you know she's lying? She could be a part of this, for all you know." 

"Because I'm an esper." She looked serious when she said that, and Ikusaba almost believed her for a second until she said "Just kidding. I just have a good intuition. And my name is Sayaka Maizono, Ikusaba-san." 

"Tch...." The clicking of the tongue showed his annoyance once again, but Ikusaba had to raise the question.

"Excuse me, but what exactly is Fenrir?" 

"Assuming it is like what she said, and you really have lost your memories, Fenrir is a mercenary group known for their ruthlessness. Only a handful of people know of their existence, and all of the members of that group have their sign, a wolf, tattooed on their body somewhere." He glared at Ikusaba then. "Such a coincidence that you would bear the same sign, doesn't it?" 

"Upupu! Such an interesting thing, is it not?" 

The voice of Monobear made the three turn towards the bear... or bears. Plural. There were three Monobears, not a daruma, but actual moving Monobears, so natural that it almost made it hard to believe it was real. Each of the bear had a letter on its stomach: A, B, and C. 

"It's really interesting! To see a living killing machine right here!" The B Monobear said, but the voice was substantially different. 

"Upupu! Living killing machine!" The C Monobear said, and again, the voice was substantially different from the other two. 

"Well, since every one of the other participants are  _beary_ dead, we will proceed to the next trial! We'll go around in a circle around one of you, and you have to guess which bear is where!" The pun was very sour for one. 

"Hold it." Togami said as he proceeded to stop the bears. "I am not here for your foolishness."

"Eh?" 

"You have made us play children's game. If you want a true trial, give me something worth my level."

"Eh? So you won't play?"

"Of course I won't!" 

"Well, too bad then!" 

_Shlick._

The sound went by almost unnoticed as Togami stopped speaking at once. Before Ikusaba knew it, he was a bloody mess, collapsing onto the floor in pieces, barely noticeable... What...?

Maizono screamed as Monobears started laughing. 

"I guess you could say he's...  _RESTING IN PIECES!_ UPUPUPU!" The bears laughed in unison. "So, your turn, Maizono-san! If you don't play..." 

"A-Alright! Alright...! I'll play...!" The shell had broken as easily as it had come. Ikusaba noticed that she had a shell. A shell of her outer appearance. Inside, she was seething, afraid, nervous, all the negative emotions bottled up inside her... only to burst out every so often. 

"Then close your eyes!" 

And Maizono did close her eyes, then the bears circled around the girl, singing...

_Monokuma~ Monokuma~ Merry go around and round~ Such a cutie bear exists~ Spreading despair round and round~ Who is the bear on the left side!?_

The bears stopped circling around the girl, and Maizono, out of shock, blurted out the answer. 

"C!" 

It was not. 

"How dare you mistake me for Monobear C!" The B Monobear shrieked as it raised its hand. 

_Shlick._

Ikusaba caught a glimpse of unmentionable terror in Maizono's face, a look of absolute despair as if she lost something important. A chance. 

"Now, Ikusaba-san! Will you play or not play!?" 

It was her turn now. And she had an idea formed in her head. 

"I'm ready to play, but why don't you introduce yourselves?" Ikusaba had thrown the bait. It was up for the bears to pick up the bait. 

"Eh? Oh, sure! I'm the brave Monobear A!"

"And I'm the strong Monobear B!" 

"And I am the smart Monobear C!" 

"Together, we form.... MONOKUMA TRIO!" 

Perfect. They fell for it. And Ikusaba sat down, and though she was nervous, she kept a cool head. There was one certain way to beat the game that did not rely on luck. The bears circled around her, and Ikusaba closed her eyes, remembering. 

_Monokuma~ Monokuma~_

The bears were turning clock-wise. The pattern was obvious. 

_Merry go around and round~_

As the bears circled, it became hard to track which voice was whose.

_Such a cutie bear exists~_

By this time, Ikusaba lost track of where the voices were coming from as the bears chanted on. 

_Spreading despair round and round~ Who is the bear on the right side!?_

Silence. Ikusaba did not say anything, and the bears stopped moving as well, and silence filled the room. 

Silence. Few seconds passed. Those few seconds became minutes, and she sat there quietly. 

Silence. Minutes passed. A bead of sweat rolled down her skin. This was the only sure way of winning. The only sure way... the only way to...

"Time's u-"

Monobear A's voice. The pattern they turned was clear. A, B, C, in that order, circling clockwise. 

It's said that humans have two ears to perceive the source of sounds and Ikusaba had used this to her advantage. She had asked the bears to introduce themselves so she could affiliate the voice with each bear, and by familiarizing herself with the voices, as soon as one bear spoke, it was as if a beacon of light shone down revealing their location. Monobear A's voice came from the the left side, which means... 

"Monobear B." Ikusaba said calmly as she opened her eyes. In front of her was... Monobear C. She looked to the left, noticing Monobear A.... 

And Monobear B was on her right side. 

"Congratulations, Mukuro Ikusaba! You have passed the hallway trial! Since you're the only survivor in this ward, I'll answer your question! Ask us anything and we'll answer it for you!" 

Questions raved Ikusaba's mind... but she glanced down at the bloody mess beside her. Togami... Maizono.... Both dead. She didn't know them, but it did not matter. They were dead, killed by the cruelty of this game for... what? 

"Who's behind all this?" Ikusaba asked. 

"Eh!? Such a useless question! You could figure it out along the way with all those hints she left behind but you want to spoil it! Fine! I'll tell you!" Monobears said in unison.

"The mastermind behind all this is Super High School Level Despair, the Ultimate Despair..."

The bears paused for a minute, as if to add a bit of tension. 

"Enoshima Junko." 


	3. Friends and Hope, and added mysteries

Leaving the hallway out of the double door led to a sort of a waiting lobby, with receptionist desks. Ikusaba looked around, looking for potential exists. Usually, lobbies like this led to exits, right?   
There was an exit, or she believed it was. There was a metal grate over what seemed a good place for an exit. And in front of the metal grate was… a beast.  
Well, it was more of a robot than a beast. It looked rather like a tiger, with gleaming black metal armor, the infrared eyes watching Ikusaba warily as two rather large guns, mounted on both sides of it, cocked slightly as if it was ready to shoot her at any minute if she did make a move.   
“Impressive, isn’t it!” The Monobear’s sudden appearance surprised Ikusaba as she backed away from the bear.   
“It’s a Monokuma beast, TI-5000! Its name is a movie reference! Get it!? Upupu! If even try to open the door, you’ll be terminated!”   
She did not get the reference, unfortunately. Nothing came to mind. She knew what movies were, but she did not remember the plots or what movies she had seen before. If she ever saw a movie anyways. She could not remember that.   
“But anyways, since you’re a new arrival in the waiting lobby, I shall introduce you to this trial.” Ikusaba cut the bear off.   
“Wait. What’s this about Enoshima Junko? Who is she?” The name sounded… horribly familiar, but she could not remember… just like the dreaded guilt she felt when the Monobear trio called living killing machine. Who was Enoshima Junko was a question she had to set aside… Who was she herself? Mukuro Ikusaba, a member of the Fenrir? Did she really kill people for living?   
“Ah, she’s a fashion model, SHSL Fashion Girl. I won’t specify other information more. You have to find out yourself!” The bear let out a cryptic laugh as it started explaining. “Now, unlike the other trials, you can simply refuse to progress without suffering any penalty. But! If you do, you cannot progress! The goal of this trial is simple. Find the key! Also, you better make some friends. Otherwise, you can’t progress. It’s a party quest after all! Upupupupupupu!”   
With that, Monobear disappeared, leaving behind Ikusaba with head full of questions unanswered.   
“… A key? Should I… look for it?”   
She looked around to see the waiting lobby opened up to another hallway, and started to follow. Friends? She had to look for friends… People like Togami and Maizono. Were there survivors?  
Swishing sounds were soon heard. It wasn’t… sudden and abrupt like the earlier traps that killed… But continuous. Ikusaba started to approach the sound when she noticed something.   
Blood. Body pieces. As she rounded the corner, stepping onto the red puddle, she found the source of the sound.   
There were two Monobears holding some sort of a rope, making circles with it like some jump rope. In the middle of the jump rope sequence was a large man with a pompadour, sweating profusely.  
“You bastards! I’ve done more than hundred times already! JUST GIVE ME THE KEY AND LET ME GO!”   
“Upupupu! No can do! You need at least three people to complete the hundred jumps or otherwise, no can do! And your friends totally failed at 10! Upupupu!”   
“YOU BASTARDS KILLED FUJISAKI. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!?”   
Fujisaki. Ikusaba looked down to see a small girl’s corpse laying, her leg severed and the rest of the body split in half. It hit her.  
That was not a normal rope. The goal was to jump the ropes hundred times with three people within the jump rope sequences. If one trips over the rope…   
“… I’m sorry, Aniki.” Ikusaba heard the person mutter as he finally jumped his last, and Ikusaba wasn’t sure why he had given up, out of fatigue or out of despair that… he stood there as the rope swiped at his leg, severing it instantly, making him fall to the ground. There was no time for him to scream in pain as the rope turned once again to finish him off from his misery.   
“Aaaaand Mondo Oowada falls too!” Monobears laughed as they took notice of Ikusaba.   
“Eh? You want the key too? Are you going to accept the Rope of Despair?”   
Ikusaba denied it. “No. I am not going to accept the trial now.” And she left… away from the two that fell… Fujisaki and Mondo…   
“499… 500… Jeez! This is boring!”   
A rather bored and yet enthusiastic voice rang through the hallway and Ikusaba looked up to see another pair doing another trial of jump rope. Two girls, one rather large and muscular, covered with scars, the other smaller with a red track jacket, but definitely the source of the voice and complaining about jumping ropes…   
“At least change the routine! You can’t keep jump roping all day!”   
“Uh……..” Monobears looked rather confused, even baffled by the fact that both girls hadn’t even broken a sweat. 500…   
“Excuse me.” Ikusaba said, approaching them. “Mind if I join you?”  
“Oh, sure! We needed someone anyways!” The girl in red track jacket said.   
Ikusaba waited. One… two… three… a timing to jump in. And she did.   
“Now let the counting begin!” The Monobears said in unison as they started counting from 1.  
“From one all over again! Jeez!”   
1… 2…  
Time passed…  
6….7…  
She wondered when she will go tired. Both girls didn’t seem tired at least. Were they… athletes? Perhaps? Either way, they both will do fine. But will she…?  
10…. 11….   
As time went by, Ikusaba wondered when she might expire…   
50…55…  
Ikusaba marveled at the fact that she wasn’t tired. Not yet.   
60….70…  
She could do it.  
80…. 90… 100…  
So easily. Something that had seemed so hard…   
How?   
“Congratulations!” Monobears said as they took out two party popper and popped them, spreading glitter.   
“That’s not worth congratulating for! That was barely a workout!” Asahina said, her fists clenched tight. “Now just give us the key so we can get out of here!”   
And the Monobears did and disappeared, leaving the three.   
“I see that we have made past another trial, Asahina. And I express gratitude to you, stranger.” The large girl said. “I am Sakura Oogami. I’m grateful that you arrived in time.”   
“My name is Aoi Asahina!” Asahina said, holding a key. “Thanks for helping us in time.”   
“My name is Mukuro Ikusaba. And I guess we should stick to each other?”   
“Of course! Now we have the key, we can finally get out!” Asahina said excitedly.  
“I do not think that is the case, Asahina. You heard what the Monobear had said. Anyone trying to open that door will be shot on sight.” Sakura said to Asahina, then looked at Ikusaba once more, before lightly touching her, as if inspecting her.   
“… You seemed to be trained well. You shall make a good sparring partner if we indeed get out of here.” Sakura said.   
Awkward introduction. “I hope to see all of us get out alive as well.” Then she inspected the key. “But what is the key for then if it’s not for…” The key was comically large, shaped like Monobear.   
“I believe it’s to get to the central wing” A cold voice rang in the hallway.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's been a rough day and I have no idea how to add plot to this. I'll add more dramatic tension next chapter. Someone will die then.

The girl's name was Kyouko Kirigiri, and she had been moving alone this entire time. She had survived the trials so far with cool and collected demeanor. She had simply walked, had not broken stride, had not rushed, and analyzed and observed every aspect. 

"This trial is rather simple if you think about it." She started. "You either have to be athletically fit enough to do what they requested, or find people who are athletically fit enough, and join forces with them." Her voice was cold, almost emotionless, and Ikusaba couldn't even imagine what this girl was thinking. "It was quite nice of you to let me join." 

"You're welcome!" Asahina said as they placed the key in the exaggerated door that was shaped like a bear. "But Kirigiri-san. You said you know who might have done this..." 

"I have searched this wing of the hospital to discover that there have been subtle hints left behind by the mastermind." She explained. 

"Who is this mastermind behind such nefarious scheme?" Sakura said this time, clenching her fist in anger. It seems that she had seen people die in this trial... And unlike Asahina, she thought she bore responsibility. 

"Super High School Despair is what they are called... It's an organization, not a title." She sighed. "But I have yet to find who is even a part of..."  
  


"Is the name Enoshima Junko familiar to you?" 

"Ah... isn't she...?" For the moment, Ikusaba thought she could find answers, but it only brought more confusion. "The fashion model?" 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Enoshima Junko.... Enoshima Junko.... 

Super High School Level Despair.... 

 _What had I gotten myself into?_ Ikusaba thought to herself as she stepped into the empty hospital hall alone, a knife drawn and holding it on her right hand, with the strange and ominous tattoo staring back at her with the canine eyes. Was she truly a mercenary? Was she really affiliated with Enoshima Junko? She had thought of the name, but there was no maliciousness that came along with the name. Only nostalgia, and longing. 

Fashion model...? She tried to think more of it, but there was only a glimpse of red. Red hair, then a glimpse of large ponytails of a distinctly different color. A smirk across the unseen face and a condescending tone... One word.

_Disappointment._

The word brought chills down on her spine, and brought her back from reality just as an armor-clad Monokuma assaulted her. Even before she could think, her mind clicked once again, all thoughts sweeping away as she raised her knife to block the blade. She took two more steps, deflecting the knife, whirling, and plunging the knife in the gaps of the armor of the robotic bear. She acted as if on pure instinct, and yet.... 

It felt as if she had done it before. 

The trio of Monokuma, and the same results. 

"Trial complete! Mukuro Ikusaba allows the group to go forward! Now... There should be a computer with a file at the end of the hallway. I'm genuinely surprised! I thought she was a disappointment of the group, but I guess I should have higher expectations of Super High School Level. Congratulations on beating the Four Triads of the North!" 

Without much thought, she went forward, her mind still in that blank state as she faced the computer, opening up the file... 

A picture of a girl with five children.... They were.... 

She knew who the girl was, but not the children. She was Enoshima Junko... But why...

"Kyaaa~ Such a surprise, I have to say. I didn't expect Monaka Towa to be this obedient. She's rather cute, and admires me to great extent! I have high expectations on what she might do if I were to leave this world.... Which could be soon. The plan is coming rather close and I have to admit, the deadline is coming up. If my analysis is correct... I don't have to lift a finger to induce despair... But that's just my analysis. I could be wrong, so it's best to prepare in advance." 

"Still, that Monaka.... She calls me onee-chan. Others do too, but hers... It just strikes me. I guess I'm just remembering Mookie. Sheesh. I can't help but wonder when she'll come back. If she doesn't die, I know she'll eventually crawl back to me. I just know it. Still... Wish she hadn't left me without saying a word. That was simply disappointing. What about all that sibling drama? 'Oh little sis. I have to go away to earn money to pay for the apartment rent!' 'Don't go, Mookie! My fashion business will take care of it!' I had all that script written up for nothing! I guess she's so straightforward I overthought what she would do...."

End of file, and she did not realize that her grip on the table holding up that computer was so tight, her knuckles were getting white. 

More flashes of memory that she had failed to remember... But at least....

At least.... She knew what Enoshima Junko was to her. 


	6. A Choice

Time passed as Mukuro Ikusaba drilled past the traps and puzzles set through the hospital. It would seem that the layouts of the medical facility had been reconstructed to resemble more of a game show. She had gone through quite many ordeals, along with some of her newfound comrades. 

She felt more at ease when she worked along, having to fetch items in a hallway, memorizing some files hidden in the crevice while trying to find out who was this Enoshima Junko and why she was so important. From what she had gathered, this was what she found. 

Enoshima Junko was the name of the creator of SHSL Despair, the organization that had trapped them here. Her purpose was to bring despair into the world. She was nefarious, cunning, and possessed a talent above all to look at the world and see how boring it was. 

The reason of why she was doing it? There was no greater reason except for 'because she could.' 

From the moment of her birth was the sign that her cries were not out of the joys of being given birth to, but because she was in despair. Despair was all she knew and all she had. Despair is not what defines Enoshima Junko as Enoshima Junko... but rather, the despair was her. It was not an emotion, a principle, a desire. It was far more simple and yet even more difficult to realize for those who could not comprehend it. 

And yet, Mukuro Ikusaba felt comfort and understanding. 

Another thing she had found out was that this girl, SHSL Fashion Girl was her younger twin sister. Even if they resembled nothing of each other, they were still bound by blood, though to Enoshima, Ikusaba was nothing more than a description of one word.

"Disappointment." That word brought a shudder down her spine, almost as if she could hear the person who said it saying it directly to her. 

But the more she got through and the more she got attached to her new comrades, the sense of dread built on. Despair was forgotten amongst them as casualties remained less and less, and she wasn't sure what to feel. Something was off. 

It had gone to the point where they were at the operating theater of a hospital. The entrance was closed off with the records of Monokuma saying that only one person may pass.... 

And it specified, this time, that it would be Mukuro Ikusaba only. 

"Wait! There's someone down there!" 

In the grotesque blades of what seemed to be various surgical equipments jumbled into machine that would operate, lay a girl staring up in the ceiling. 

So Mukuro stepped into the theater, slowly walking down a staircase towards the table. 

When the girl came into view, she had turned her head towards her, and Ikusaba felt the time freeze around her again, her blood chilling... 

But not because she willed it, but because she felt danger by her stare alone. 

The girl was fastened to the table, dressed in a nurse's outfit, the knives whirring and syringes full of unidentifiable drugs pointed towards her. But there was no panic in her face, nor was there any sign of resignation. 

Her eyes were full of despair: an abyssal pool of darkness that stared back at her. 

"So you came." The girl said, smiling at her. An innocent smile that hid something far worse beneath. "I was wondering if you wouldn't make it." 

"Who... are you?" 

"I'm not important.... But my beloved sent you here." The girl looked up at the ceiling once again. "She wants to give you a choice.... And left me behind so that I could see you make it." 

A red button rested on the table beside her. "That's the button to escape this hospital, along with everyone outside looking through that window." She explained, another sweet smile on her face. "But if you do press that button, you will never see the person known as Enoshima Junko again. And I'll be killed...

"Oh, what a despair that may be. I still wish to see her and yet she left me here with you..." The nurse shook her head. "Or... If you want to see her again... Smash that button. It'll trigger an explosion that'll destroy everyone in the hospital, assuming they are still alive... except for you and me." Another chill ran down her spine. "If  that were to happen, I'll be released and... I'll help you regain your memory back. I know the way... I was one of the people who did this to you. And then... I'll take you to her..." 

 


	7. Epilogue

_Drip..._

It seemed a little strange the way blood dripped. It was familiar, and yet foreign. Time seemed to have frozen as Ikusaba heard a loud rumbling, a strange smile on the one who was still fastened onto the table. 

The despair in her eyes seemed familiar and yet foreign. The insanity, the despair, the desperation... All in a dark pool that seemed to suck her into some sort of a swamp. 

Ikusaba dropped what she held in her hand, blood dripping from her fingers. Something had jabbed her. Something sharp, and her entire body tingled. Had the girl lied? Pain shot across her entire body, despite her wound only being on her hand. 

The rumbling came from outside, and what happened after... All was a blur. 

Something had happened inside her head. Something different. The faces plastered on the window as the rumbling continued, of disbelief, of betrayal. 

Did they hear what the girl said? 

Was there a hint of despair in their eyes? 

Despair... was an emotion to her. An emotion that she was familiar with, and yet she could not fully understand it. 

Mindlessly, she began to walk, away from the table, her head in a haze, as she headed to a wall. 

No. Not a wall. It was a door. A door that one would easily overlook if they did not know the existence of it.

Silence fell throughout the hospital. There had been a very low hum before, inaudible, its absence was apparent. 

A thin red mist behind her was ignored. 

Steps outside were ignored as they headed towards the exit. 

The button laid behind her, pressed, a thin needle protruding out of it. 

She pushed open the door, ignoring the crimson stain that she made with her hand. Ignoring the piercing pain throughout her entire body. Minutes became hours. Seconds became minutes. Something shorter than seconds became longer. 

Time slowed as she saw the Christmas tree, lit brilliantly, decorated with brilliant light and of bells and colorful plastic decorations hanging off of it, golden star at the very top of it. 

There was an album on a couch, but she knew its content. Pictures from before she left. Pictures that she had almost forgotten the existence of. 

Presents underneath the tree were probably empty. There was no need for presents. Even Ikusaba herself wouldn't know what to get for herself. 

No. What had caught the attention was an envelope. A black and white envelope, the color divided right into half. 

She did not waste time imagining what had happened to her companions outside as they left the hospital. She did not even bother watching the gruesome display behind her. 

It was not her blood after all that stained this snug atmosphere. 

She opened the envelope. In it was a letter, written in an extravagant style. 

Today's date was December 24th. The bell started to ring all of the sudden, from a grandfather clock at the corner of the room. 

It struck twelve as the words fell to her eyes. 

It was December 25th. 

_Dear Mukuro Ikusaba._

_Congratulations! I knew you'd make this choice. After all, I knew you'd make this choice. You can be so disappointingly predictable sometimes._

_Happy birthday to us! And Merry Christmas._

_I'd write more if I want to. But there's only a page to write. Writing too much isn't my style. I'm not writing an essay for one._

_In case you are wondering, yes. I'm writing this all on different intervals. Not because I don't know what to write by the way. That's totally not the case._

_You probably remember by now, but the world has been destroyed. This was the last place and I wanted to create one final despair. One piece of despair to end with the world instead of hope._

_Despair doesn't exist without hope. Without hope to crush, there is no despair._

_So think of this as my parting gift. This betrayal. The lies made to make me seem as if I'm alive. Because apparently, erasing who you are is impossible no matter how I tried, and you were drawn to me. My name. Enoshima Junko, your sister._

_I didn't expect the world to end this quickly. Nothing could survive outside. Not even me. Development was too slow and I fell sick by the time we made this fortress._

_And there was despair in your eyes then. Sickly, disappointing form of despair from pity. You looked like a lost puppy that you almost looked adorable. So I decided that perhaps I should really end this world._

_You saw some of my acquaintances. You saw some of my followers. You saw some of the agents of hope. They all will die in the end as soon as you pressed the button._

_Don't worry. Even if you smashed it, you would have been blown to smithereens along with them. Then I might despair from whatever afterlife that exists because I wouldn't have said farewell to you. If you didn't press it, the generator would have run out as the clock struck twelve. Which it did! So you'll die slowly and painfully today, your lungs burning... Your nerves slowly shutting down, your organs starting to fail..._

_As will the others. There is no cure. The world ended a long time ago and we just did the best to delay the inevitable death._

_I tasted the ultimate despair, along with being helpless. And I wanted to give you a little more than that._

_You are my sister, and you should know I care for you._

_I love  you, Mucchan._

The letter ended, but the soldier known as Mukuro Ikusaba felt her cheeks wet, as a cry of sorrow escaped her. 

The final minutes of everyone's life, she was truly, utterly alone. 

 


End file.
